Schmechel/Schmeichel/Schmökel

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About us

Welcome to Schmechel/Schmeichel/Schmökel project. All surname variants are welcome. We can learn the most about our various branches from Y-DNA members. However, all atDNA and mtDNA members are also welcome to join. In short if you have any Schmoekel’s in any form in your ancestry please join. Together we can learn about our history, genealogy and genetics.

The Schmökel/Schmokel/Schmoekel/Schmeichel/Szmeichel/Schmöckel/Schmockel/Schmoeckel/Schmekel/Schmeckel/Szmechel/Schmechel/Schmejchel/Szmejchel/Szmechil/Smekel et al, surnames are rooted in Pomerania.
Other surname variants may include: Schnuchel, Schückel, Schnuckel, Schmegel, Schmiegel, Schnäckel, Schnaeckel, Schnäkel, Schneckel, Schnöckel and Schnoeckel.


Etymology:

How to pronounce Schmökel/Schmoeckel/Schmöckel/Schmoeckel in Low German.
The ö is pronounced like a long ᾱ like in apple in Low German rather than an œ like in High German. This pronunciation helps explain the etymology of Schmekel to Schmökel.They sound similar in Low German but very different in High German. The ‘Szm’ in Polish is pronounced 'szhm' which is usually Germanized to ‘Sm’ in Low German and ‘Schm’ in High German.

From the book “The Schmekel History” by Hermann Schmökel, 1940. “Our name was originally spelled ‘Smekel’.” “In the 17th century the ‘Sm’ in Low German was gradually replaced by the ‘Schm’ from High German.” This information is from this web site:  http://www.schmoekel.org

 

From the “Internal Dialectical Clues in German Surnames” by Theola Walden Baker

“112  Sm-: In , Sch- becomes Sm-; thus Smidt for Schmidt.” Low German which is derived from Saxon had a strong influence on the Frisian language. “25  -el: A diminutive personal name suffix often found in ;thus Hähnel/Haehnel, Seidel, Siegel, Weigel, Weigel, Barthel, Jäckel/Jaeckel.” Perhaps the Schnechel/Smekels/Schmechels etc. were originally from Southern Saxony.

“97  Polishized German Surnames: Reflecting the propinquity of Germans and Poles in and many German surnames have been spelled according to Polish orthography. Thus, Schulz = Szulc; Schurmann = Szuman; Schreiber = Szraiber.”

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mstone/dialectical.html

 

Parts of East Pomerania was German (Schnechel) then Polish (Szmechel) then German (Smechel, Low German1600’s to Schmechel) and finally Polish again post-WWII. Germans and Poles  Polishized and Germanized (applied German or Polish orthography) their names over time based on border changes throughout all of Prussia which included East Pomerania.

 

From the Polish Genealogy web site Stankiewicze and Friends we have the following in italics below.  http://www.stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=44&sub=828 

From Stankiewicze and Friends Reference F:

F / Zygmunt Klimek, 'The etymological-motivational dictionary of Old Polish personal names. Personal names of German origin ', Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Polish Language, Kraków 1997

         

         

“From the Middle High German first names Schnechel, Scmechil derived from the Middle High German smaehe ‘small, low, invisible’.”

  

                                           

                                                                                                                       ↬ Schmoeckel ⇝ Schmöckel ⇢ Schmockel

                                                                   ↬ Szmekiel                   ↬ Schmoekel ⇝ Schmökel ⇢ Schmokel

                                                        ↬ Szmekel → Smekel → Schmekel → Schmeckel

                         Schnechel → Szmechel → Smechel → Schmechel

                                         ⤷ Szmeichel → Smeichel → Schmeichel  

                                                  ⤷ Szmejchel  → Smejchel → Schmejchel      

                                   

Schnechel  → Schnuchel? There are in present day Northern Germany including West Pomerania people with the surname Schnuchel and in pre-WWII East Pomerania. They may have migrated to East Pomerania much later than Schnechels who Polishized their names.  

 

                        Scmechil → Szmechil